In the street at LFW

One of the areas we were instructed to cover during our LFW project was Street Style. Documenting this is a great way to learn how the trends from the cat walk are interpreted on the street. In a time when money is tight wearability is key to any brand wanting to survive.

It is also a great way to judge the direction of fashion, we are continually reminded of the importance of customer awareness and how knowing what your customer wants will assure you deliver and sell.

I had a lot of fun doing this part of the project once I had got over the nerves of approaching everyone from possible 'VIPs' to stylish students to photograph them. I think it is the only place where posing is not judged but expected.

There is a really interesting dialogue occurring in the industry at the moment with a mutual respect between the street fashion and all fashion magazines, glossy included. Here is ten of the street style photographs that were part of my project. Key trends on the street were neon, sport luxe and hats but I decided not to limit myself so went with a general accessories theme as a focus.

London Fashion Week

The second week of term brought London Fashion Week and the logistics of the trip meant it was not until I was actually standing outside Somerset House, camera in one hand The Daily in the other that I had a chance to really consider where I was.

At the age of about eleven I decided I was going to work in fashion at the time it was as imaginative as if I had said I wanted to be a power ranger (yellow obviously) yet as each year goes by I am amazed at this reality possibly drawing closer.

My course was sent to London to complete a project brief of research, styling and photography work as well as to visit various exhibitions with the advice to use our time to get inspired, get focused and not shop.

I am proud to say all of the above were achieved in five hectic days and I even managed to fit in two days of work experience with Louise Gray and Fashion Fringe.  Posts to follow.

 

I am surprised at how quickly I felt at home in London, riding the tubes and navigating my way about, though the iphone must take some of this glory. However it took longer to feel at home in the venues I have only known from the pages of Vogue. Wandering the cobles of Somerset House it took all my concentration not to fall never mind look as though I belonged among the cluster of the fashion familiars heading for the next front row, ipads in manicured hands.

By the third day I began to find my feet, and even relaxed enough to allow my canary yellow dress to attract some photographers. After several days of approaching stylish strangers as part of my Street Style project I found it hysterical and very odd to be on the other side of the lens, though cannot say it wasn’t fun; what dress doesn’t enjoy a bit of attention?

 

There is a lovely feeling of celebration at London Fashion week, whether you are a student, famous blogger or icon everyone is there for a common purpose and the fun emanates from this. Thanks to the wonders of social media we found ourselves at one of the Fashion Scout shows. These shows are always particularly exciting as the designers are new and fresh and the audience are willing them to be the next big name. We were at Tuhir Sultan’s show which was beautiful.

I didn’t know what I would take away from the slightly surreal experience. At times I felt I was looking into a world that was not quite real, as Kelly Osborn hopped from a blacked out car and Alexandra Shulman squeezed through the crowd darting into the Topshop Unique show- at times though it all felt very ‘ordinary’.

The most obvious thing about the event was its purpose. As I had only ever read coverage the press image was all I was aware of. The glamour and fun is definitely there but the press focus on this to attract and generate more publicity and build on the brand. When you strip back the cameras and late night private parties this is ‘a ‘military slick’ run event that attracts thousands of press and buyers from hundreds of countries assuring the nourishment of the thriving British fashion industry.

 

It is all too easy for the cynical (or just the unstylish) to dismiss it as a false or materialistic but what these five fabulous days do is reinforce the identity of the British Fashion industry.  The world that is responsible for maintaining the reputation for creative excellence, driving new and innovative talent and technology while also contributing £21 billion to the UK’s economy. It is brains and beauty at its finest.

London was undoubtedly still basking in the glory of games and the atmosphere was infectious. I visited the Tate, V&A and the Textile and Design Museum as well as iconic shops including Liberty, The B Store and Browns before finding the new McQueen store which was intimidating cosy, friendly and chic- as expected.

Feeling slightly drained I headed back on the train to Scotland, I didn’t want to leave but uni called and my feet had surrendered. The people who work in the heart of the industry work hard and the realisation of this hit home as a scrolled through the editors tweets about early morning flights to Milan. I had barely made it through five days and they do this for a full month twice a year. Do not think this has put me off, far from it. I now have fresh determination to work harder, learn faster and walk quicker – heels are no longer an excuse.

New term, new brief, same issue.

A short post to make excuses, introduce 2nd year and consider the horizon.

The first six weeks of second year have gone by in a flash of briefs, late night library sessions and weekend shoots leaving me with little time to blog. I regret this as I also attended London fashion week which naturally provided me with endless blogging material.

Sadly projects had to take priority and I would be lying if I said there hasn’t been a little hysteria among the gala girls as the realisation of the pressure and time scales begin to hit home and sleeping drops to the bottom of the extensive ‘to do’ lists. I would also be lying however if I said I don’t love it.

The environment we are working in is realistic to the industry and though you often doubt your capabilities nothing feels better than when all comes together for the deadline.

 Now studying wholly communication the pressure is obvious, especially for the self confessed perfectionists among us. With a course of only twenty there is little room to hid and no one wants to be the one to crumble in their presentation on cry during their crit (both likely to occur next week- stay tuned)

 The result of this however is getting to witness some incredible work being produced in a short time and seeing yourself beginning to respond quickly to the industry like pressure created.

 London Fashion Week really helped to focus my mind on where I am going while also scaring me slightly to death.  After spending a week working in a world where the pressure is fat, tolerances is thin and swear- words regular punctuation you leave feeling hugely intimidated yet exhilarated. The world manifested by the press exists in full ‘Devil wear Prada’ pride but behind this is a core of very talented, focused and hard working, dare I say normal people.

The threat realised is not will I be glam, thin or fabulous enough to get into the industry but do I have the talent to bother knocking in the first place? I suppose one can only wait to find out and first term of second year is as good a place as any to get started.

 This term is arguably the creative aspect of the course with modules covering photography, styling, and studio work and fashion film. The fashion film is based on Topshop which has been very exciting but more on that later.

 Next term we shall move onto my preferred areas of the course with business modules on promotion, advertising and journalism. This is not to say I have not enjoyed the artistic aspects so far and all the briefs are commercially focused.

 The first day back also saw our first hand in, yes fast off the mark high heels or not. It was a portfolio of artistic awareness work, including some challenging themes and course work research. The second part of this portfolio was 30 reviews and critics of fashion films, I will not share this but it is worth mentioning as a really beneficial way to prepare us for the work we are covering in Fashion film this term.

 Here is some of the work I produced for this portfolio, it explains some of the directions I am taking with course work and also will no doubt highlight a contrast with later work, post photography tutorials.  

The themes covered were shine, decay and wet. The photographs were not to be fashion focused so they are quiet random though in context do develop the appreciation of a theme. They also helped to get the creative juices flowing after a summer of Scottish rain and Kardashian trash. Enjoy.

An evening with Christopher Kane at the FFRoadShow

When the news broke a few weeks ago that Christopher Kane was going to give a talk at the Edinburgh Art Collage there was more than a few squeals from the students here at Heriot-Watt University. Not only is Kane from Scotland, Glasgow to be specific, but he is one of the most successful designers to emerge in the last 10 years. His business built entirely by himself and his sister Tammy (A graduate of Heriot Watt- Woop, woop!) is constantly expanding with the recent launch of his menswear line.

Excitedly awaiting Christopher Kane (myself centre, Tatti left, connie right)

Who was responsible for this exciting event I hear you ask, well it was thanks to the Fashion Fringe Road show which is taking a number of designers including Gareth Pugh, Mathew Williamson, Julien Macdonald and Erdem to Universities all round the UK over the next month. The tickets were completely free as long as you were a student.

The Fashion Fringe is an award platform that helps emerging designers launch their labels in London through mentoring and financial support.

The Edinburgh Collage of Art was busy with students when we arrived and the event was held in one of their small lecture theatres creating a very intimate atmosphere, and when Christopher Kane entered the crowd showed their appreciation with rapturous applauding. My friend Sarah who is a ‘die-hard fan’ nearly fell of her seat and it took all her self control not to scream, or cry for that matter. The conversation was lead by founder of the FF Colin McDowell, before the audience got a chance to ask questions.

Kane was so endearing and very Glasgow (if you have been you will understand) He was so humble and very honest about his journey and those who have helped him along the way. He started by telling us about his education at CSM and the fond memories of that creative experience and loving everything about it, even the smell. He is right though all art schools have the same smell- the smell of years of blood, sweat and tears mixed with paint fumes.

He left Glasgow only eleven years ago making his acheivement even more impressive. It was interesting to hear him speak about the production side of the design business, something I think young designers forget about, he discussed how he learnt about budgeting and business plans and how even to this day each season is a struggle. There are only four people evolved in his design process, one of which is Tammy. I was interested to learn that they do not buy any fabric off the peg, every piece is designed, made and patented by them and everything is based in the UK including the manufacturing of all their garments.

He spoke a lot about Tammy and her talents as well as their close family bond, something he says is crucial to his productivity. Growing up surrounded by strong, encouraging women is something Kane says helped him achieve his dream.

Kane then went on to talk about his experiences working with Donatella Versace and his shock and bewilderment when first being asked to work for her. He spoke of her fondly and even revealed she can now speak ‘Scottish’ thanks to him...though he can still not speak any Italian. Kane’s main piece of advice from his experiences was that 'if you are driven, you can go places' which was very positive coming from an industry that is constantly reminding us as students how difficult it is to cut it in the business. This was also what he emphasised when talking about interns; they have to be good and work hard. The subject of interns was raised by a member of the audience and it is a very current subject as many believe interns are exploited, but Kane though agreeing they are used highlighted that it is invaluable experience.

Sarah living the dream!

Colin then asked the question that we were all thinking "Do you have a life?" After all Kane does produce ten collections a year. But he assures us he finds time for fun, telling us about his chill time in Paris and how he loves nothing more than reading a gossip magazine over some poached eggs-this is all he can cook. When asked about the future Kane was unspecific mainly due to that fact that he is very happy at the moment. He did say however that film and theatre was something he would love to explore if timings and work suited.

I think what came across in the interview was Kane’s quiet self confidence in his own work. Working with a tight group around him in a very private environment has allowed him to really develop his creativity and business. The sky truly is the limit for Kane, though he did confess that he needs to fully conquer his fear of flying first.

After the talk we stayed and were lucky enough to meet him on his way out, he was more than happy to chat and take pictures even asking us if his talk was ok, to which we gushed our approval.

Jaggy Nettle

Last week we were treated to a guest lecture from the owner of cashmere label Jaggy Nettle. Jaggy Nettle is a family owned business based in the Borders of Scotland. It was interesting to learn about the development of their label as well as being a reminder of the exciting things going on in Scottish Fashion (people get so focused on London).

The label is mainly based on Scottish cashmere though has a sister label Jaggy Nettle Japan which focuses on Japanese style salvage denim. What makes their cashmere company so unique is that they print directly onto the cashmere. They have developed this method over 15 years and it is a totally unique but difficult process. This method has opened many doors for experiments and designs with their jumpers- garments that were once thought of as for the older generations who like traditional and dare I say old fashioned styles cashmere companies have become accustomed to producing.

The garments are knit in the mill in Hawick then individually printed using a process of direct screen print before being sewn into the final garment. All pieces are individually checked and signed off to assure perfection.

Many may view cashmere as being something for a more mature market but no, Jaggy Nettle's designs are fresh and young perfect for young professionals with money to spend on something fun and different.

At the beginning of our lecturer it was made clear to us that Jaggy Nettle are very much against conventional forms of marketing, this is what I found very interesting about their success. Slowly but definitely surely Jaggy Nettle have built their brand and I predict they will shortly really take off as there has been a huge move recently back to 'Made in Britain' quality fashion, something that this brand embodies.

With a reputation for quality Jaggy Nettle work with the likes of Johnson of Elgin and Harris Tweed on some beautiful pieces for a younger market, and they appeal to this market through their choice of designs.

Jaggy Nettle has worked with Faber&Faber theLondon based publishing company. They had full access to their achieve and have used designs and typefaces from famous books and plays to develop ideas for their jumpers- genius! Though what I found truly genius what how they used this project as a platform to launch their small unknown label by teaming up with a world famous company (also using their marketing/PR team and industry name to secure publicity) Everyone wins.

I am still dreaming about their SLAG jumper, aw so chic, though at around £400 it is slightly out of my price range.

Jaggy Nettle has some really exciting projects in the pipeline; include the new MADE IN GREY BRITIAN campaign and a WWF collaboration that will hopefully see Jaggy Nettle become an internationally known brand. WWF was interested to collaborate to help raise awareness of the problems that the growing demand for cheap cashmere on the high street is having on endangered species such as snow tigers (their natural habitat is being used to farm goats). They explained to us how important it was for their brand to support these charities but more importantly how having a back story like this really helps them to market the products. People have grown tired of being told what to wear and why but a story to the product catches people’s attention and creates interest in the brand and therefore the product. A lot learnt for a Monday morning!

All images taken directly from Website.

At the end of the lecture we are given a chance to view some of the products which were all beautiful! They are all on Jaggy Nettles website so why not have a look- http://www.jaggynettle.com/ Women's, men's, accessories and home wear available.





'Let the Gala see the Girls'

Last night the Student Union saw a bit more glamour than the average Thursday night galavant, as it played host to a 'Take Me Out' fundraiser. Twenty hopeful ladies took to the stage to compete to win a date with one of our 5 strapping young men...well brave but desperate singletons.

It was a hilarious evening and celebration was definitely in the air. Not only was this one of the first big events held in the newly transformed Union but we were also celebrating the recent news that Heriot-Watt Union has won Union of the year. The event was hosted by Katie Barr out SBC Union President and once again she did not let us down.




The bar was buzzing with terrified contestants desperately trying to drink away the butterflies, as well as the excited audience who enjoyed the complimentary cupcakes and trying out the new sofa area in the union.

Four out of the five men from the evening successfully got a date with one chickening out at the break...poor soul. The crowd were kept laughing by comedian host and all involved fully embraced the game; cringey one-liners and all. The rejected girls seemed unfazed as they clattered out of the union to hit the tiles once the event ended and I think all would agree the night was a success.

Dancing with Dior

All afternoon I have been patiently waiting to see the Dior collection and after viewing the first pictures from vogue.com it was worth the wait.

After the scandal surrounding the house it is no surprise that the industry held their breath in anticipation for what was Bill Gaytten second collection as head of Dior.

The collection was nothing short of breath taking with the famous Dior cuts married beautifully with soft ballerina silhouettes. Now I will be honest in saying usually I am not a fan of the pastel pallet but Gaytten has converted me with these soft pastels; more dusty that sweet. With purples, duck eggs, salmon and greys taking priority the garments encaptured the 'feminine strength' Dior do so well.

With nipped in wastes and full pleated skirts the collection flowed seamlessly from the embroidered blouses and knitted capes to the pattern midis and flowing gowns. The curved silhouettes that seems to be so popular this season also brought a freshness to the traditional ballerina shapes and the flashed of leather assured the collection still had an element of edge.

The collection ended with a set of gowns only Dior can do, with my particular favourite being the long sleeved raspberry dress. With a few big names moving houses after this season the fate of Dior is still unknown but I don't think we need to panic after this collection. Gaytten I salute you! 

I love the panel effect of this look and I am a huge fan of the oh so feminine 3/4 sleeve.

With so many patterns around this season it is easy to go crossed eyed, but this is definitely a favourite

The wrapped knit is beautiful here with the v neck and draping...satisfying the prima ballerina inside us all

Probably one of the strongest pallets in the collection only with the use of this 'rounded femininity'

I <3 navy

Please mummy can I take this home??